Aftermath
by J.D. Cunegan
Summary: Season 2 AU: Following the climactic events of "Sucker Punch," Castle discovers the elephants on Beckett's desk have been knocked over and shattered. He finds the tape, unleashing a whirlwind of events.
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Note: This started off as a one-shot based on a Tumblr prompt, but now it's a story practically screaming for two or three more chapters. Enjoy, and please leave reviews!**_

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In the chaos of being held at gunpoint - he could still feel the poke of cold metal against his side - Castle thought he had only heard one shot: the blast that put Dick Coonan down and saved his life. Castle still couldn't get over the fact that Detective Beckett killed the man who murdered her mother in order to save his life.

Castle was sure he was a goner. He was seconds away from leaving behind a grieving mother and daughter, all because he got nosey and couldn't mind his own damn business several months back when Kate first showed some inkling of trust in him.

But the fact remained: Kate Beckett had shot Dick Coonan to save Castle. Coonan had information on who hired him to kill Johanna Beckett, but Kate had decided Castle's life mattered more.

As grateful as Castle was, he was racked with guilt.

Once Kate had calmed, the tears from being unable to save Coonan dried against her cheeks, Captain Montgomery led her into a conference room to give a statement. She'd discharged her firearm, which brought with it a mountain of paperwork, and Castle wondered if maybe he was better off just going home - and not coming back.

After all, this was all his fault.

But when Castle approached Kate's desk, he frowned. There was a bullet hole in the surface, a slug buried in the wood. He didn't remember hearing a second discharge when Kate shot Coonan. Maybe Coonan's gun had accidentally gone off when she shot him. Or maybe Montgomery had fired his weapon as well and Castle just hadn't noticed in the scrum. Then again, Castle's ears were ringing after he slammed the back of his head into Coonan's nose, so there was no telling what he had missed while undoubtedly giving himself a concussion.

And there, on the floor, was the family of ceramic elephants. They were in shambles – a broken trunk here, half of one of the baby elephants over there. Castle knelt with a sigh, cringing when both of his knees popped, picking up the pieces. Once he picked up what was left of the largest elephant, something caught Castle's eye.

Grabbing it, Castle frowned and examined the elephants again. What was a mini cassette tape doing in this statue? Castle wracked his brain, trying to remember if Kate had told him the origins of the elephants. They seemed unlike her, yet there they always were, as long as Castle had been -

"What the hell are you doing?"

The crack in Kate's voice startled Castle far more than the anger, which was far less biting than usual. He turned sheepishly to face her, a breath caught in his throat when he saw how red her eyes still were.

"Beckett, I -" He stopped, taking a deep breath. "It was like this when I got here. There's a bullet lodged in your desk; maybe it went off during the -"

"What's that in your hand?" Kate interrupted, taking a step forward.

"I don't know," Castle admitted, glancing over Kate's shoulder at Captain Montgomery, who had himself just emerged from the conference room. Roy's eyes went wide before his shoulders slumped, and Castle fought to keep from arching a brow at his reaction. "It was hidden in the elephants."

Kate's frown deepened as she studied the tape. "My mom gave me those. Said they were a family, just like us." She sniffled and shook her head before turning around to regard her boss with a furrowed brow. "Sir…"

Roy sighed and checked over his shoulder before motioning for both Kate and Castle to follow him into his office. Once they did, he closed and locked the door before pulling down the blinds. He crossed to his desk before sitting in his chair, clasping his hands in front of himself and studying the detective and her shadow.

"Roy," Castle broke the silence, "what's going on?"

"Before you play that tape, I need you to know something," Montgomery said, purposefully keeping his eyes off of Kate. Castle exchanged a glance with her, and he knew she felt the same level of dread he did. "I met Johanna a couple times; she said she had evidence that a client of hers had been wrongly accused of murdering an undercover FBI agent."

Kate held up the tape. "Is this the evidence?"

"Yes." Montgomery sank further into his seat, looking out the window that overlooked the bullpen. "As well as a clue."

"A clue," Castle repeated. "What kind of clue?"

"The man who ordered the hit on your mother is on that tape."

"_What?!_" Kate approached her boss' desk, shrugging off Castle's hand when it reached out to hold her back. The detective slapped the tape onto the desk, leaning in until her face was inches from Montgomery's. "All this time…all this time, _you knew_, and you sat on it?!"

"I had to," Montgomery whispered. "I was only trying to protect you."

"By _lying to me_ about the most important thing in my life?!" Tears sprung to Kate's eyes again and her jaw clenched. "At least when Castle went behind my back, he fessed up to it!"

Castle cringed at the memory.

"Play the tape," Kate ordered, standing upright again. When Montgomery sat motionless, she pounded her fist against the desk. "Play the tape, Roy!"

Without another word, Roy grabbed the tape and slipped it into the player that sat off to the side, next to a picture of his wife and two daughters. He paused to glance at the framed photograph, heaving a deep sigh and shaking his head before finally pushing play.

The first voice they all heard was Roy's. Kate and Castle exchanged a look of shock before the detective once again focused her gaze - and her anger - on her boss. "Roy…what did you do?"

Montgomery rose his hand to fend her off as Castle stepped forward.

"That other voice," Castle whispered, shaking his head. "Is that…"

"Senator William H. Bracken," Montgomery said. "Back when he was Assistant DA."

The tape continued, Kate shaking her head and swiping tears from her eyes before they had a chance to fall. "_You_ killed Bob Armen? Roy, what the _fuck_…?"

But the tape continued.

_I know people, Roy. Dangerous people. Anyone who gets too close – like that bitch lawyer Johanna Beckett who's been poking around – I'll have them killed. I've had people killed before._

The tape ended, and all three of them were speechless. Only the squeak of Montgomery's chair filled the room. Castle stared at Kate, too shocked to say anything. A prominent and popular Senator, one who some thought had an inside track to the White House one day, had been involved in extortion and conspiracy to murder.

And he'd hired Dick Coonan to kill Kate's mom.

The tears built in Kate's eyes, but they didn't fall. She shook out of grief and anger and disbelief, the mixture potent enough to churn the acid in her stomach. Without another word, she yanked the door to Montgomery's office open and stormed out, not even bothering to grab her purse on the way out.

Castle had started to follow, but she had made it to the elevator before he even got to her desk. He sighed, his shoulders deflating, before turning back to the man with whom he'd spent many a night playing poker.

"You know she'll never forgive you," Castle said. "Nor should she."

Finally leaving on his own accord, ready to go home and have several stiff drinks, Castle stopped at the elevator when his phone went off. Fishing for the device, he saw a text from Kate.

_Tomorrow I take down Bracken. You comin?_

A rueful smile crept onto Castle's face.

_Wouldn't miss it_.

His phone pinged again once the elevator doors opened.

_Good - see you tomorrow._


	2. Chapter 2

_**Author's Note: Thanks for the response to the first chapter! I know the synopsis says three- or four-shot, but it might wind up being longer than that. Enjoy! And please review!**_

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_Four hours later…_

That Castle couldn't sleep wasn't anything new. He had lost count of how many times over the years he had pulled all-nighters when writing. He'd started the habit in college, like so many others, but while they were studying for chemistry finals and working on research papers, he had been writing his first bestseller.

But this was different. He sat at his desk, empty scotch glass in his hand. The bottle was on his desk; when he got home, it was almost full. Now it was roughly half empty. The stubble on Castle's cheeks itched, and he could still feel that gun pressed against his side. He almost died earlier that night, _should have_ died.

What did saving his life accomplish? Sure, Dick Coonan was dead, and there was reason to celebrate that fact, but Coonan could've been a gateway to answers. Answers Detective Beckett desperately wanted. Yet she chose to save Castle instead.

Why?

Castle shook his head, pouring himself another drink before downing it in one gulp. The burn down his throat made him hiss, and he almost missed the tentative knock at his door. In fact, Castle was sure he had imagined it at first. After all, he could feel the alcohol in his bloodstream; between that and the stress of the day, maybe he had been imagining things.

But the knock came again, harder and more insistent this time. Castle set down his glass with a sigh and rose from his chair, cringing when both of his knees protested. He wasn't getting old; really, he wasn't. But once he left his office and crossed to the front door of the loft, Castle was sure his eyes were playing tricks on him.

Because no way Detective Beckett was standing at his door.

He swallowed thickly, dumbfounded. "Beckett."

Her eyes lifted to meet his, red and puffy. "Hey, Castle."

The sight of Kate at his door, emotional and raw, had Castle wondering if he'd dozed off at his desk and was dreaming. He cleared his throat and forced himself to move, pulling the door open even more. "Come in," he offered, shutting the door behind Kate once she stepped through the threshold.

As Castle made his way back to his office, he knew she was following. A jolt of fear ran through him once he saw the glass and bottle on the desk, cringing as he hurried to put them away before Kate could see them. He didn't know much about her father's battle with alcohol, but he knew that he didn't want her to see him drinking right now. He felt guilty enough as it was.

"So," Kate said once she shut the door to Castle's office behind her, "you couldn't sleep either?"

"No," he admitted, turning to face her again. "I just…that tape keeps playing in my head."

Kate ducked her head. "Me too."

"Something's not right." Castle cringed as soon as he said it, because if anything ever felt like stating the obvious, that was it. "What I mean is…it feels like you're just starting to read a new book, then you flip to the last page and spoil the ending."

Kate sank into one of the chairs across from Castle's desk, her shoulders slumped far more than he was used to seeing. Her hands cradled together in her lap, and the detective ducked her head to stare at them – because she was afraid if she looked at Castle for too much longer, the emotion would well up inside her again and she'd lose control.

Katherine Beckett couldn't afford to lose control. Not now. Not with everything seeming to unravel right before her eyes. Whatever selfish satisfaction she took in knowing the man who stuck a knife in her mother was gone had been replaced by hurt and shame and confusion and anger.

Mostly anger. Anger at herself for not doing more to keep Dick Coonan alive. Anger at her shadow. Anger at her boss for what appeared to be his duplicity. Not all of her anger was logical, she granted, but she felt it anyway.

"I was just thinking," she sniffled and shook her head, finally forcing herself to look at Castle, "there's still so much we don't know."

Castle nodded. "Too many unanswered questions."

"And as much as I'd like to walk right into Bracken's office tomorrow and slap the cuffs on him," Kate continued with another shake of her head, "his lawyers will rip our case to shreds and my career would be ruined."

"Beckett..."

"And what about Roy?" Her voice rose as she spoke, springing out of the chair and shrugging her shoulders as she paced. "What does _he_ have to do with all of this? And why _the hell_ wouldn't he tell me what he knew?!"

By now, Kate was standing directly in front of Castle, staring up at him with red, tear-brimmed eyes. Castle froze, stopping himself from reaching out to offer a comforting touch. They weren't like that, despite feelings that had developed on his end in recent weeks and months. She had shown a great deal of trust in coming to Castle's loft at this late hour, and he didn't want to make her regret that decision.

"He said he did it to protect you," Castle offered. "Protect you from what?"

Kate shrugged and swiped at a tear. "Coonan? Bracken?"

"We need to listen to that tape again." The words were out of Castle's mouth before he could stop them, and he watched for Kate's reaction before elaborating. Much to his relief, all she did was quirk a brow. "We got the Cliff's Notes version, Beckett. Between the shock of it all and you talking to Montgomery, there might be details we missed."

"Great." Kate shrugged. "Let's listen to the tape again. Where is it?"

Castle cringed. "Still at the precinct."

Kate huffed a sigh of exhaustion and fatigue, sinking back in the chair and raking her fingers through her hair. If Castle looked closely enough, he could still see the blood on her palms, from when she tried to resuscitate Coonan. The memory made his gut churn far more than the image; Castle still couldn't believe Kate chose him over answers, and he still wasn't convinced he deserved it.

"For all we know," Kate shook her head, "he destroyed that tape after we left."

Castle sat in the chair beside Kate's. "I don't think so." When Kate shot him a glare of confusion, Castle shrugged. "That tape has been at your desk the entire time, Beckett. And I saw the look on his face when we found it. He _knew_ what we had found."

"I knew it." Kate clenched her jaw before bolting out of her chair again, pacing back and forth to the point where she was starting to wear a path in Castle's carpet. Her hands rubbed together, and she almost looked as if she had to keep moving to keep everything together. It was by far the most vulnerable he had ever seen her.

"I _knew_ it wasn't gang violence," she spat through gritted teeth.

"So either Detective Raglan was incompetent," Castle offered, "or he was hiding something."

Kate shook her head and balled her hands into fists. "Maybe he was in on it too."

"Or he was trying to protect you, just like Montgomery."

"I don't need protection!" Kate whirled around to look Castle in the eye, her eyes wide. "I need _a lead_!"

"And we have one." Castle stood and cautiously approached his partner, so out of his realm in seeing her this way. Against his better judgment, Castle placed a hand on Kate's shoulder, exhaling with relief when she didn't recoil. Instead, she looked up at him again, her eyes as red as he'd ever seen. "You need to talk to Roy. Now that you have the tape, it's too late for him to protect you."

"What about you, Rick?" There was no animosity in her voice, as there often had been whenever she used his first name. "You didn't sign up for this."

"It's my fault we're in this mess," Castle admitted, squeezing Kate's shoulder and shaking his head before she could interrupt. "I overstepped. If it wasn't for me –"

"If it wasn't for you, I wouldn't have found my mom's killer," Kate insisted, stepping toward Castle and staring into his eyes. "And hopefully soon, I'll take down the son of bitch who had Coonan kill her." Her eyes averted briefly. "And I'd like you around when I do."

Castle blinked. As far as he could remember, that was the first time Kate had actually expressed a desire to have him around. No verbal sparring, no jabs at his character. Granted, they hadn't been nearly as vicious as they had been when he first started shadowing her, but Castle couldn't help but wonder: did she mean that, or was the emotion of the day getting the better of her.

"And if you tell anyone what I'm about to say, there's gonna be another shooting," Kate smiled a little; that was the sort of banter Castle was used to, "but…I've gotten used to you pulling my pigtails. I have a hard job, Castle, and having you around makes it a little more fun."

Castle smiled, the first genuine expression of the day. "Your secret's safe with me." He let go of Kate's shoulder. "And I'll do whatever you want me to do. Even if it's nothing."

"Come with me tomorrow." The words were out of Kate's mouth before she could stop them. "We'll talk to Montgomery together."

"You think we should talk to Raglan too?"

"I won't rule it out," Kate admitted with a shake of her head. "Depends on what Roy tells us."

* * *

_Montgomery's office…_

The last thing Roy Montgomery wanted to do was go home. Even though staying in his office overnight meant incurring Evelyn's wrath, it beat the alternative. The standoff earlier that night that resulted in Dick Coonan's death brought with it a mountain of paperwork, and Roy knew day-long meetings at One PP were in his future.

But the aftermath, in which his best detective began uncovering his most closely-guarded secret, was what had Montgomery in hiding. Everything was about to unravel, and Roy was in the process of getting himself to accept the fact that his career was likely over.

Montgomery pulled a flip phone out of his desk, about to make a series of phone calls that he dreaded. But before Roy could do that, the phone rang.

He didn't recognize the number, but a shiver of dread still ran down Montgomery's spine.

"Hello?"

"_We had a deal, Roy._"

"We still do."

"_No, we don't. Not after your pet detective gunned down Coonan._"

"Look," Montgomery sighed, "we didn't ask for this case to link back to Coonan."

"_But she didn't back off once it did, Roy. Not only that, but she had that little writer monkey of hers pony up the dough. Not to mention the little matter of her shooting one of my best operatives dead, right in the middle of the precinct. I could have both your badges for that._"

"You wouldn't dare." Roy sat up straighter, gritting his teeth. "You have too much to lose."

"_Not as much as you._"

The line went dead before Montgomery could respond.


	3. Chapter 3

Sleep never did come that night for either Kate or Castle, and they were both chugging their respective coffees as the elevator dinged to announce their presence on the Homicide floor. Her mind was awash with possibilities, none of them good, and she was desperate for Roy Montgomery to answer the questions that tape left her with.

Castle, for his part, still felt responsible for everything. He understood that it wasn't his fault that their last case led them straight to Dick Coonan, that Jack Coonan had been killed in a manner similar to her mother. But Castle's more irrational side couldn't help but wonder: if he hadn't gone behind Kate's back all those months ago, if he hadn't enlisted Detective Esposito's help in digging up Johanna Beckett's case file, would they still have come to this point?

From the moment he learned about Kate's tragic past, Castle wanted to find out who killed Johanna. He had to admit that his reasons were, at first, a tad selfish – maybe if he solved the case, she wouldn't hate him quite so much – but as the weeks turned into months and he could sense an ever-so-slight shift between them, Castle went from wanting to impress Kate to simply bringing her the justice and closure she deserved.

That tape would be part of the process, but it was clear there was so much more to do. They had reached the denouement without any of the exposition or backstory or the trials and tribulations in between.

Kate and Castle strode straight toward Captain Montgomery's office, ignoring the questioning glances Ryan and Esposito threw their way – because honestly, they didn't need to be a part of this. The pair walked into the glass box that looked out over the rest of the bullpen, Kate slamming the door shut as Castle took his place on the sofa across from Roy's desk.

The slamming door startled Montgomery, and he sagged into his chair once he saw who had bombarded his office. The bags under his eyes were darker than usual, and the meeting he had earlier that morning at One PP hadn't helped matters.

In fact, it was becoming increasingly clear that Roy was going to lose his badge. And that was the best-case scenario.

"Beckett—"

"Shut up," she hissed, pacing back and forth in front of her boss' desk. The adrenaline and the caffeine made it impossible for her to keep still. "What's going on, Roy? Why would William Bracken want my mother dead?"

"And how does someone in his position meet someone like Dick Coonan?" Castle added.

"Look, I know you want answers," Montgomery said, "but I can't give them to you, Beckett. Not if you plan to stay alive."

"What I _want_," Kate spat back at Roy, "is to find out who hired Dick Coonan to stab my mother and why!"

"I can't tell you that," Roy shook his head. "I give you a name, I know you'll run right at him. I might as well shoot you where you stand."

"Dammit, Roy!" Kate pounded her fist against the surface of the desk, the sound loud enough that it drew the attention of everyone in the bullpen. Kate's fist shook and there were tears in her eyes again, but she sucked in a deep breath and kept them from falling.

Roy's eyes went from Kate to Castle, narrowing at him. "You put her up to this?"

"No." Castle stood and took Kate's side, hiding his hands in his pockets so the captain couldn't see them balled into fists. All of the conflicting emotions were simmering to a boil inside Castle, and the potent mixture vaguely resembled the sort of anger that threatened to burst out at any moment. "I'm just along for the ride."

"All these years," Kate snarled through gritted teeth, "all these years, Roy, you had the answers I was looking for. You knew who killed my mom, and you sat on it!"

"For your own good."

"Save it, Roy!" Kate shook her head, her jaw clenched as a couple tears managed to escape after all. "I'm not leaving this office until you tell us _everything_."

"Random gang violence," Castle recited from memory, his eyes bearing a hole in Montgomery's head, lacking their usual brightness. "So what was it? Was Detective Raglan that bad at his job, or was he covering something up?"

Roy glanced out at the bullpen, where uniforms and other plain-clothed detectives had returned to the business of their day. LT was tossing a baseball around Esposito while he and Ryan animatedly discussed something – knowing those two, it was either a case or Esposito again teasing Ryan over his relationship with Jenny.

Everything appeared to be normal. No one on the other side of that door knew that the day Roy Montgomery had forever dreaded had finally come. He knew it would; on his many sleepless nights over the years, Roy had envisioned every possible scenario, every which way Kate Beckett would learn the truth and everything would crumble before him.

Roy leaned forward in his chair, and Kate leaned over the desk even more until their faces were inches from each other. Montgomery broke the stare just long enough to pull open a drawer near the bottom of his desk, pulling a stack of NYPD-standard manila folders from it and placing them on the desk.

"These files incriminate the man responsible for Johanna's murder," he explained. "I've kept them hidden, and in exchange, those responsible backed off."

Castle frowned. "Backed off."

"They wanted to come after you," Montgomery told Kate. "The day you got your badge. My keeping these files hidden? That was the only thing keeping you safe."

"Bit late for that, isn't it?" Castle asked, putting his hands up in a show of surrender when both Kate and Montgomery glared at him. "Think about it: you killed Dick Coonan in the middle of a precinct. Word's bound to get out. If Senator Bracken doesn't already know, he will soon."

Roy's eyes flicked to the stack of folders in front of him. Bracken _did_ know, and he wasn't pleased.

"I'm thinking," Castle continued, "this keep-the-file-hidden-and-keep-Beckett-safe plan had strings attached. Let me guess…" The writer's jaw clenched, and he took another step toward the desk. "You keep the file, they don't come after her, but as soon as she gets involved in the case again, the deal's off."

Kate frowned and glanced over her shoulder. "Based on what?"

"If I were writing a conspiracy like this, that's how I would do it."

Turning her attention back to Montgomery, Kate reached in and grabbed him by his tie. She gritted her teeth, steel in her eyes. "What's in the file?" she demanded. "What can I use to bring down Bracken?"

Roy shook his head. "You can't—"

"I _can_, and I will."

Roy sighed, his shoulders deflating. He glanced over Kate's shoulder at Castle, hoping that the writer would step in and tell her to back off, but he wouldn't. Of course he wouldn't. That man would follow Kate Beckett into the fires of hell if that was what she decided to do. Even when Castle was full of anger, Roy could see the love he had for her.

Some part of Roy hoped they would survive this, that they would make it. He was just sorry he probably wouldn't be around to see it.

"Alright," he said with a slow nod. "It starts with a mistake I made years ago, before your mother was killed. Only it wasn't just me; Raglan and McCallister were right there in on it."

Kate and Castle exchanged a look.

"They took me under their wing when I was a rookie," Montgomery explained. "I didn't know any better, so I went along with it."

"With what?"

"We kidnapped mobsters for ransom," Montgomery said. "Hefty ransoms, too. But one night, we screwed up. Cornered a man in an alley – the same alley your mom died in. But everything went sideways, and we killed him.

"Come to find out later, that man wasn't a mobster. He was an undercover FBI agent."

Castle nodded. "Bob Armen."

"We pinned the murder on a man named Joe Pulgatti."

Kate glanced over her shoulder, looking at Castle again. " Pulgatti…Castle, my mom was working his case when she died."

"And when Bracken caught wind of it—"

The sound of glass shattering interrupted Montgomery, and his body went stiff before keening to the right. As glass rained down onto the floor, Castle ducked for cover as Kate leapt across the desk, grabbing Montgomery by the lapels of his blazer as they both hit the floor. Glass shattered again, and this time, the sound of a gunshot in the distance registered.

By the time Kate gathered her bearings, she saw the blood pouring out of the side of Montgomery's head, brain matter and bits of skull strewn about the floor. She choked on a loud sob before covering her mouth with a shaky, blood-soaked hand before Castle could crawl over to her and lead her away.

By the time Kate returned to the moment, she reached for a nearby trash can, burying her head in it to empty the contents of her stomach. Her retching was lost in the commotion of the precinct; uniforms were on high alert as Ryan bolted toward the elevator, Esposito bursting into Montgomery's office, weapon drawn, examining the broken glass.

Grabbing the walkie-talkie on his hip, Esposito turned his attention to the chaos before him, eyes wide when he saw Captain Montgomery's now-lifeless body, Kate and Castle huddled together on the floor.

Glancing back toward the broken window again, Esposito shook his head. "Captain Montgomery is down. Sniper is still on the loose. Repeat: sniper is still on the loose! The building across from the captain's office – start on the twelfth floor and work your way up!"

Esposito and Castle exchanged a nod before the detective bolted from Montgomery's office.

For the second time in as many days, Kate was sobbing at work. The blood on her hand paled in comparison to what had splattered onto her white turtleneck. A moment of panic overtook Castle, and he brushed aside her jacket to make sure the blood wasn't hers. Logically, he knew it wasn't, but logic had since flown out the window.

He placed a soft hand on Kate's shoulder, feeling the way her sobs wracked her body. He hated seeing her so defeated, so broken; it was unlike anything he had seen before. The guilt returned, and despite every fiber of his being telling him not to, Castle glanced over his shoulder to glance at Montgomery's body.

The captain had just been gunned down right in front of them – all while explaining what had happened leading up to Johanna Beckett's murder. Confident that the gunfire was over with, Castle reached out to grab the files still on Montgomery's desk, trying not to let his fingers smear against the blood on the top folder.

He hid them under his jacket as best he could, taking stock of his surroundings. The bullpen was largely deserted now, practically every cop on the floor doing what needed to be done to find the sniper.

He glanced down again, frowning at the sight of Kate wrapped up into herself, sniffling.

"Beckett," he whispered. When he got no response, Castle dropped to a knee and grabbed his partner by her shoulder. "_Kate_." He tried to smile when Kate's bloodshot eyes rose to meet his, but it looked more like a cringe. "C'mon, we gotta go."

Kate rose with Castle's help, her legs still wobbly. "Go where?"

"Somewhere safe," the writer answered, leading Kate out of Montgomery's office just as EMT personnel and a representative from the morgue came in. Castle expected Kate to argue, but she kept silent as he led her down the stairwell near the back of the bullpen.

They couldn't stay in the city. Not now. Not until they cracked this case and brought down Bracken. Fortunately, Castle knew exactly where they had to go. There was a place, only a couple hours outside of Manhattan, where they could go and no one would know where to find them.

He wasn't sure he'd even tell his mother and Alexis where they were going.

Once they spilled out onto the sidewalk running parallel to a side street, Kate tugged on Castle's hand to get him to stop. He turned to face her, the look of despair in her eyes too much for him to take. He swiped his thumb under her left eye to brush away a tear, and when Kate didn't recoil, he scooped her into his arms for a hug.

It was an awkward hug, partly because they'd never hugged before and partly because of the bulk hidden in the writer's jacket. Once the hug ended, he opened his coat to reveal the files, smiling briefly at the stunned look on his partner's face.

"Castle…"

"We need all the leverage we can get," he explained as the pair started down the sidewalk again.

"We need to talk to Raglan," Kate said.

"Why?" Castle stopped dead in his tracks. "So we can watch him get gunned down in front of us, too? Kate, he's cleaning house. No one's safe."

"Least of all you," Kate argued. "I can't let you risk yourself like this. I'm not gonna be the reason Alexis loses her father."

"I'm the reason we're in this mess," Castle insisted. "And if I don't watch your back, who else will?"

"Rick…"

"You know me," he continued. "You know I'm the guy who always thinks we can push that boulder just a little bit further, but you know what, Beckett? I don't know if we can win this. But I know I'm seeing it through until the end."

Kate watched as Castle started walking again, seeing him in a different light for the first time. No longer was he the plucky sidekick with the inappropriate wisecracks and the outlandish theories. He was acting like a partner, a responsible adult who shouldered blame that truthfully, he didn't need to shoulder.

It wasn't _his_ fault their last case led to Coonan, and it wasn't _his_ fault she had to put a bullet in Dick's gut. It also wasn't his fault that Roy Montgomery had lied to Kate after all these years, that there was a massive conspiracy that led all the way to a charismatic Senator who some believed had higher aspirations.

Yet there was Castle, being far more stalwart and gallant than his law enforcement credentials allowed, and if Kate was being honest with herself, she liked him just a little bit more for it.

"Hey, Rick," she called out, cringing when her voice gave out.

He stopped and turned back to look at her. Kate then closed the distance between them, letting her shoulder bump against his as a ghost of a smile crept onto her face.

"Tell me where we're going."


	4. Chapter 4

_**Author's Note: Okay, so clearly this is going to be more than four chapters. Oops.**_

* * *

The two-hour drive from Manhattan to the Hamptons had gone by in silence, both Richard Castle and Kate Beckett too wrapped up in their own minds for conversation. He'd kept the radio silent throughout the drive as well, for which Kate had been grateful. Her mind was so cluttered with the events of the past day that she couldn't focus on anything else.

Even as impressive as Castle's house at the Hamptons was – when they arrived, she'd quipped, "Wow, are you rich or something?" and for a brief moment, things felt like they were back to normal.

But as soon as she entered the house, the reality came crashing down on her again. Kate had to suck in a deep breath to keep herself together – she was _not_ about to have an emotional breakdown in front of this man – hoping she could fight the tears off when he turned to give her a reassuring smile and take her bag.

Castle had insisted that no one outside of the redheads and select people at Black Pawn knew about this place – one thing she could honestly say about the writer was that he was never one to flaunt his wealth. It flew in the face of his debonair playboy persona that allegedly helped books fly off the shelves, but it was refreshing, and she appreciated not only that, but the seriousness with which he was treating this situation.

Even if he was spending too much time beating himself up over it.

They'd eaten dinner in relative silence – more accurately, he ate dinner while she merely picked at it. Kate had expected him to chide her for it, as he often had over her less-than-stellar eating habits, but he surprised her by simply taking her plate when he was finished, wrapping it in tin foil, and placing it in the fridge.

He was being thoughtful, courteous. No jokes, no inappropriate comments, none of that maddeningly adorable theorizing he would do on those long days at the precinct. Kate wasn't sure she'd ever seen him so serious for so long, and she couldn't help but wonder if it was the guilt or merely a realization of just how deep they were in this.

Maybe it was a bit of both.

She couldn't place why, but Kate wanted to let him know that she didn't blame him for any of this. He'd actually been extraordinarily trustworthy in this entire mess, from offering that money to dislodging himself from Coonan so Kate could get a clear shot to securing the files after Montgomery's assassination to refusing to let Kate deal with this on her own.

Castle was no longer just an occasionally useful, albeit annoying, civilian consultant. She was no longer just his muse. They were partners, in the most unorthodox sense, yet it worked. As much as Kate appreciated Detectives Ryan and Esposito, loving them like brothers, fact was no one had her back like Castle.

Castle had disappeared after dinner, and given how spacious the house was, there was no telling where he wound up. Kate had chosen to lounge about in the living room, both to enjoy the view overlooking the water as the sun went down and to give herself some alone time. She'd barely had any since discovering the tape, and as great as Castle had been, she needed some time without him around.

But as she figured would probably happen, tears burned her eyes the second he left the kitchen. The enormity of the situation was sinking in all over again – not just the realization that she'd stared the man who killed her mom in the eye, not just the fact that it wasn't _random gang violence_, but also the fact that Roy Montgomery – her mentor in every sense – had at least known about it the whole time.

For years, he had kept silent – and when he finally fessed up and started giving Kate answers, someone put a bullet in his head. Every time Kate closed her eyes, she could still see the blood and the bits of skull on the floor in his office.

Roy had said he was protecting Kate by keeping quiet, and they killed him as soon as he started talking. The detective half-expected there to be a knock on the door at any minute, and for her to be greeted with the barrel of the gun upon opening the door.

But no knock came. The only sound was that of the waves crashing into the shore.

Within minutes, the quiet solitude got to be too much, and Kate lifted herself off the couch in search of her partner. She wanted to tell herself that he was off somewhere writing, that he was putting the finishing touches on _Naked Heat_, but something told her he was burying himself in that file – because that was exactly what she would do.

Sure enough, when she stumbled upon Castle's office, she saw the way the lamp on the table illuminated him, papers strewn about the surface of his desk as he studied each one with a frown. He furiously jotted down notes, and Kate couldn't help but notice that there was no high-definition monitor near his desk like there was in his loft.

She knocked on the door to announce her presence, suppressing a grin when he jumped a little.

"Beckett."

"Hey." She stepped into his office, at once comforted by the myriad of bookshelves surrounding the walls. It reminded her of his loft, and she couldn't help but let her eyes dance over the spines in an effort to see what authors he enjoyed reading. "Find anything?"

The crease in Castle's brow deepened. "Whatever happened to Raglan?"

"Retired," she answered.

"And what about…" Castle glanced at one of the sheets of paper with a squint. "Gary McCallister?"

"Far as I know, he retired too."

Castle scooted aside in his chair as Kate wandered deeper into his office and came across to his side of the desk. The gray NYPD hoodie was far too big on her, seemingly swallowing Kate whole, but Castle still drank in the sight of her because with her hair up, a strand or two breaking free, she was still adorable.

And she still smelled like cherries.

Clearing his throat, Castle sat up a little straighter. "This is mostly a money trail," he said. "We're talking large stacks of money, and I'm thinking, this is the trail that leads to the mafia random ring Montgomery talked about."

Kate nodded. "The one he was in on with Raglan and McCallister."

"Right. And there was _a lot_ of money in this," Castle added, fishing through a stack of papers before showing Kate a series of highlighted numbers. "But see here? Starting with the week after Bob Armen's death, every time they got a big deposit, a chunk of that money got wired to another account."

Kate nodded, the proverbial light bulb going off. "They were cutting Bracken in on the profits."

Castle frowned. "You think?"

"Remember the tape? Bracken told them he was covering for them, and he threatened to expose them."

"And the money was to keep him quiet." Castle nodded. "But what would Bracken need the money for?"

Kate shrugged. "He was still Assistant DA back then. Maybe he used the money to fund his Congressional campaign."

Castle sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "He wouldn't be the first politician to ride a wave of dirty money into office." Sinking back into his chair, a day's worth of stubble dotting his cheeks, Castle shook his head. "We need to get a name to go along with this account number. We need the proof."

Kate frowned and folded her arms over her chest. "Who needs proof? It's a great story."

She was teasing him; he knew she was teasing him. He briefly let a smile creep onto his tired features, but it disappeared almost immediately. "Yes, I may have _on occasion_ gotten carried away with the storytelling, but…" Something unfamiliar crossed his face, and Castle shook his head. "Beckett, we _have_ to get this right. I can't – _we can't_ – mess this up."

"We won't," Beckett assured, placing her hand on Castle's shoulder. He glanced at the hand, which was barely poking out of the sleeve of her hoodie, before his blue eyes flicked upward to meet her hazel ones. "I want this just as bad as you, if not more."

The soft smile that crept onto Castle's face almost melted Kate, and he reached up to place his hand over hers. It was by far the most intimate they had been to this point, and yet Kate didn't see the need to end the moment. He clearly needed reassurance, to be assuaged of some of the guilt he was still carrying around. And she needed to know that her partner still had her back, that no matter how deep she went down the rabbit hole this time, there'd be someone holding onto her shoe, ready to pull her back at a moment's notice.

"I sometimes forget you live with this every day," Castle said, averting his gaze.

"You're right, I do," she countered, leaning against the edge of his desk. "But there's one key difference this time: I'm not alone." When Castle opened his mouth to say something, she grabbed his shoulder and shook her head. "Look, I meant what I said last night. And I know…I know I'm not the easiest person to get to know, and I know our arrangement isn't exactly normal."

Castle smiled, more genuinely this time, before it morphed into a smirk and a shake of his head. "Well, I'm not exactly known for doing things the normal way, Beckett."

"I just…" Kate huffed a sigh and shook her head. She was terrible with words. "This isn't what you signed up for when you started shadowing me. Following me for book research is one thing-"

"This isn't about the books anymore," Castle interrupted, turning so he could face Kate full-on. "Hasn't been for a while."

Kate's words stuck in her throat, and she was taken aback by his brazen honesty. It was such a rarity between them, speaking what was truly on their minds, and Kate couldn't help but wonder why he would choose now of all times to give voice to something they both knew was there but didn't want to acknowledge.

Her mouth closed, and then Kate cleared her throat. "Castle…"

"I know, timing sucks." The writer offered a rueful smile and a shrug. "But you mean a lot to me, Kate. Have for a while, and I still kick myself over how I violated your trust."

"But I forgave you for that."

"And I'm grateful to this day," Castle said. "I know trust isn't easy for you to give, Kate, and even harder to mend. I'm honored that you forgave me, and if I'm being honest, I wanna help bring down Bracken to show my gratitude."

Kate arched her brows and flashed a grin of disbelief. "So it has nothing to do with justice?"

Castle shrugged and squinted, parting his thumb and forefinger by less than an inch. "Maybe just a little."

The two shared a quiet laugh before silence descended upon them. Much to Castle's surprise, Kate didn't remove her from his shoulder, even as her gaze fell to the floor. He looked up at her, at first pursing his lips, but then he opened them to speak.

"Look, Beckett…"

"No." She shook her head and lifted her gaze again, hazel eyes meeting his. "You're not just my shadow anymore, Rick. You're my partner." She moved her hand from Castle's shoulder to grab his hand, their fingers intertwining. "And we'll take down Bracken. Together."

* * *

_Parts Unknown…_

John Raglan stared at the letter on his dresser, heaving a weary sigh. He knew what the letter had told him before he even read the words, but he still read them. Once, twice…he lost count of how many times he'd read that letter, let what those words meant sink in for him. He'd done a lot of terrible things in his day, and karma was finally coming to collect payment.

Raglan once thought he'd spend his golden years rotting in a jail cell – God knew he'd done plenty in his day to deserve that fate – but his body apparently had other ideas. About a year ago, his body began betraying him. A lump here, a dull pain there – all followed by the damning diagnosis, the dreaded _c word_.

Six months ago, he lost what was left of his hair. Every other day, Raglan lost his lunch. Sometimes his supper, too. An ex-wife drove Raglan to and from doctor's appointments, but once Raglan had been given the proverbial all-clear, even she went away.

A cancer-free life lasted two months. But now the lymphoma was back, more aggressive than before, and no matter what rosy picture the doctor tried to paint, Raglan knew better. His days were numbered. The only question was: how much pain would Raglan be in when that time finally came?

He'd already turned away chemo and radiation. Raglan wasn't about to fight that battle again.

His personal Glock sat in his lap, and Raglan stared at the bullet he was twirling in his fingers. It really would be that simple; load the bullet into the chamber, point the gun, pull the trigger. A life of sin and betrayal would mercifully end. No one would think twice.

Raglan set the bullet on top of the letter with a sigh. He couldn't do that. Not yet. Not without doing what little he could do to set things right once and for all. So he set the gun on the floor and grabbed his phone, a burner flip device, dialing a number and pressing the phone to his ear, closing his eyes and sucking in a deep breath as the rings filled his head.

He cursed under his breath when the call went to voicemail.

_Hello, you've reached Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD Homicide. I'm unable to take your call at this time, but please leave your name and number. If this is an emergency, please hang up and dial 9-1-1._

Raglan cursed again when the machine beeped.

"Hey, kid, it's Raglan." He shook his head and ran a hand over his face. "Listen, there's something you need to know, about your mother's case." His lifeless eyes went to a newspaper on the floor, news of Montgomery's death splashed across the front page. "You probably already have some idea, but…I need to come clean, kid. Call me back."

Raglan sighed as he hung up, tossing the phone onto the table before pushing himself out of his chair. His knees cracked in protest, and Raglan hissed in discomfort. He stretched his tired muscles as much as he could, scratching at his side.

But before Raglan could move again, a bullet broke through his window and dug into his skull. The pain was there and gone in an instant, and by the time Raglan's body collapsed onto the hardwood flood, blood oozing down the side of his nose, the retired detective was dead.

Across the street, camped out on the fifteenth floor, Hal Lockwood lifted his head from the zoom scope on his rifle, a cocky sideways grin curling his lips into a sneer. His week's worth of stubble was closely cropped, and Lockwood cracked his knuckles before grabbing a flip phone from his back pocket.

Silence hung in the air while he waited for the phone to connect. When it did, Lockwood smiled.

"Two down. Three to go."


	5. Chapter 5

By the time Kate Beckett hung up the phone, her face was as white as the sheets on her bed in the guest room. She swallowed thickly, fighting back the gag that tickled the back of her throat before pocketing her phone and glancing up at her partner.

Richard Castle had kept motionless at his desk, studying her throughout the call. Once he saw the terror in her eyes, he sank back in his chair with a weary sigh and a shake of his head.

"John Raglan's been murdered," she announced, her voice scratchy. "Sniper bullet to the head."

"I wish I could say I was surprised."

"I'm next." Kate shook her head and crossed her arms over her chest, staring out the full-length windows overlooking the beach and the water. The waves were calm, but a brisk wind churned off the coast. A storm was coming, and it wasn't just the one building in the sky.

She forced herself to look at Castle, hoping he couldn't see the emotion brimming in them. Of course he would; he always noticed the finer details, and he'd made it a habit of noticing all the things she wanted to keep hidden.

Thankfully, he knew when to keep such things to himself.

"He's gonna come after me now," she added with a shrug, because honestly, how else was she supposed to react to that reality?

"And Gary McCallister," Castle added. Crass as it sounded, the fact that Kate wasn't the only one on the proverbial hit list was calming. Especially since Montgomery and Raglan were the first ones to go. If McCallister was next, that meant they still had a little time. The more time they had, the more likely it was they'd solve this.

"And you," Kate countered. "He won't stop at me, Rick."

"He won't get to you in the first place," Castle argued, rising from his chair and closing the distance to his partner, watching her turn her head as he did. She had tears in her eyes and was trying to hide that fact. Even in the midst of all of this, even as what she once thought was an instance of random gang violence had turned into a grand conspiracy involving a popular and influential politician, she was trying to keep her hard exterior.

In that way, she was every bit of Nikki Heat. Tough, determined, unrelenting in even the harshest, most impossible scenarios. But in Richard Castle's fantastic world of make-believe, even Nikki Heat had moments where she broke, nights where even if she didn't want to, she turned to her ruggedly handsome journalist.

Castle would be lying if he didn't occasionally hope the real-life Nikki Heat would confide in her ruggedly handsome novelist the same way.

"Awful confident there, Rick," she whispered, her lower lip quivering.

"I've been following you around for about a year and a half," Castle said, sitting across from Kate and tentatively taking her hand into his. He quirked a sideways grin when she didn't recoil. "You know what I've learned in that time? How tenacious you are. How you're stubborn in all the best possible ways, and that when you're on the case, God help whoever committed the crime."

"This isn't just some homicide anymore," she argued weakly, ducking her head. If the tears were gonna fall, she didn't want Castle seeing them.

"No, it's not," Castle said. "But it never really was in the first place. This was never _just_ a homicide, Kate. And now, we can see the proverbial finish line."

"Yeah," Kate huffed. "On the other end of a sniper rifle."

"Ah, but you and I have something no one else does." Castle rose from his seat and crossed back to his desk, grabbing the manila folders sitting on the surface and holding them up. "Leverage."

"Roy had the same leverage," Kate argued, standing as well. "Look what happened to him."

"Because he didn't _use it_," Castle countered, setting the files down again. "I've got a couple ideas, and they're a bit out there, so I need you to hear me out."

"Alright," Kate folded her arms over her chest again and shrugged. "I'm all ears."

"One: we release the files," Castle explained. "We leak these documents to the media and let Senator Bracken go down in the court of public opinion."

Kate rolled her eyes. "Like the bull's eye on my back isn't big enough."

"Which is why I have a second plan. We go straight to Bracken, tell him what we know."

Kate's eyebrows arched, and she burst into a laugh of disbelief. "And that's better _how_?"

"The deal Roy had with him," Castle explained with a shrug. "You have the file, Kate. _Use_ it. You want Bracken to back off, you threaten to expose him if he so much as thinks about hiring a professional to kill you."

"And why would he do that?"

"William Bracken is two things: ambitious and arrogant." Castle approached Kate again, and now he was closer to the nine-year-old on a sugar rush she remembered ninety percent of the time. "Rumors are he wants to make a run at president one day. So I'm thinking, he's not tying up loose ends just because you killed Coonan."

"And he's arrogant enough to think he can clean house beforehand," Kate picked up on the thread, pacing back and forth.

"Little does he realize, a trail of dead bodies does not a clean slate make." Castle joined Kate in her pacing. "If he knows you're onto him, if he knows you can destroy him with a simple phone call, he'll back off."

"What makes you so sure?"

"If it means he still has a shot at the White House…"

"Alright, fine," Kate shrugged, not really willing to admit that his plan made more sense than she originally thought it would. "How do I get to him?"

* * *

As luck would have it, Senator William Bracken was at the Hamptons, wining and dining with some of New York's wealthiest people. Such shindigs were a necessary evil in politics; if Bracken didn't spend a few hours every month or so schmoozing with the monied elites, he would be outspent by millions come election season. And if Bracken were to be ousted from the Senate, he could kiss his White House aspirations goodbye.

Thankfully, this evening went by without too much hassle. There was something to be said for having already met all of the people signing the checks at this event, given that this was Bracken's second Senate term – in addition to his stint in the House of Representatives. The chit-chat was benign and mind-numbingly dull, but it beat introducing himself over and over and over again.

Slipping out the back of his family's property in the Hamptons, Bracken exhaled with relief and tugged the bowtie off of himself. He downed the contents of his champagne flute in one gulp, setting the glass aside and stopping to glance at the waves.

"It's even prettier when the moon is full."

The female voice startled Senator Bracken, and he whirled around on the balls of his feet before smirking. Bracken nodded and sucked in a breath, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Something I can do for you, Miss…?"

Kate arched a brow. The look on Bracken's face told her that he knew exactly who she was, yet he was playing the ignorant card. Which was fine. She'd play along…for the time being.

"Detective Kate Beckett, NYPD," she announced, flashing her badge.

Bracken stood a little straighter, his eyes narrowing. "Bit out of your jurisdiction, aren't you?"

Kate shrugged, returning her badge to her pocket. "This isn't exactly an official visit."

"Yet you flashed your badge."

"No different than the way your shoulders straightened when you saw me," Kate argued, approaching the Senator. "You've just spent an entire evening surrounded by people who are giving you heaps of money, all so they can call in a favor or two in the future as you work your way up the political ladder. As far as you know, I'm just someone who wants something from you."

"And you're here to tell me that you don't want anything from me."

"Oh, I want something alright." Kate stopped once she was a step away from the Senator, cocking her head to the side as her right hand rested on the gun in her holster. "I want the truth."

Bracken burst into laughter before catching himself with a shake of his head. "I'm a politician. Try again."

"Johanna Beckett." Kate took one more step, and Bracken backed up in kind. "Roy Montgomery. John Raglan. Dick Coonan. Any of these names ringing a bell for you, _Senator_?"

Recognition did in fact flash in Senator Bracken's eyes, and his gaze flickered briefly to the gun resting on Kate's gun before he forced himself to meet her eyes again. He tried to smile, but the upturn of his lips more closely resembled a grimace.

"You know who I am," she added. "You know I killed Coonan. What I wanna know is…" She pulled the weapon from its holster and cradled it in both hands, taking just the smallest bit of satisfaction in the way Bracken recoiled and raised his arms. "…why did you have my mother killed?"

Bracken's jaw set and he narrowed his eyes again. "You know why."

"You're right, I do." Kate lowered her gun but kept both hands on the weapon, taking another step toward Senator Bracken again. He didn't back away this time, and Kate had to suppress a smile. She actually liked that he wasn't shrinking at the sight of her. "I know all about your scheme with Montgomery, Raglan, and McCallister. I know about the money. I know that my mother took on Pulgatti's case, and that's when you gave the order."

"Bravo, Detective," Bracken said with a shrug. "You're a regular Sherlock Holmes. But see…" He lowered his arms. "If you're hoping to arrest me tonight, you're going to walk away _very_ disappointed. No one can touch me. Believe me, others have tried. And if the FBI can't touch me, what makes you think the NYPD would be any different?"

Kate couldn't help but laugh and shake her head. "It's not the NYPD you have to be worried about, Senator."

"Oh, you mean _you_?" Bracken's laugh was deeper this time, and he shook his head as his wrinkled face lit up in amusement. "Come on, _Detective_…you think just cause you pointed a gun at me, that gives you some sort of power over me? I'm the one with the power, _Beckett_…" Her skin crawled at the way he spat out her name. "…I'm an influential and powerful Senator, man of the people, with all of the access and resources a person could ask for. What do _you_ have? Hm? A gun, a badge, and a personal vendetta?"

In response, Kate cocked her gun, arching a brow when Bracken's posture stiffened again.

"I have the file."

Bracken remained motionless, though his lip curled into a snarl as his hands balled into fists. His eyes were glued to the weapon in Kate's hands, and Senator Bracken suddenly regretted giving his security detail an early night.

"No, you don't."

"I do." Kate raised the gun, pointing it right at Bracken's chest. "I was in the room when you had my captain killed. Saw his brains get blown out and everything." She sucked in a deep breath, blinking back tears. "Now his file is mine. So that deal you had with Roy? That's our deal now."

The sneer on Bracken's face deepened.

"You come after me, or anyone I care about," Kate continued, tightening her grip on the weapon, "then I'll release that file. You keep dropping bodies in my lap, Senator, and I will destroy you. Are we clear?"

"Blackmailing a Senator at gunpoint," Bracken spat through gritted teeth.

"Which no one will ever know about," she countered. "Because telling someone would mean revealing your own secrets, and you don't want that, do you?" A knowing smile crept onto Kate's face, and she jabbed the barrel of her gun into Bracken's chest. "I'm only gonna ask this one more time: do we have a deal?"

Senator Bracken sucked in a deep breath, puffing out his chest. "Yes."

"Good." Kate lowered the gun with a nod and acted as if she was about to turn and walk away, but before Bracken could release the breath he had sucked in, she whirled back around and struck him on the left side of his face with the butt of her gun. He staggered back with a grunt, already feeling the warm trickle of blood down the side of his face.

"And one more thing," she practically growled, hovering over his bent frame, "underestimate me at your own risk. You have no idea what I'm capable of or how far I will go."

By the time Bracken straightened again, still hissing in pain as his fingers were now soaked in blood, Kate was gone. He snarled into the quiet night, turning his gaze to the water. The waves were no longer crashing against the shore, instead settling into a calm back-and-forth lullaby under the light of the half-moon.

The phone in Bracken's pocket rang, and the Senator fumbled with the hand not pressed to the side of his face to grab the device. "Bracken."

"_McCallister is dead. Shall I proceed to the next target?_"

Senator Bracken stared out into the water, clenching his jaw and holding the phone so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He felt a dull throbbing near his left eye, blinking back the pain and the hatred.

"_Sir?_"

"Abort mission."


	6. Chapter 6

_**Author's Note: Thank you all so much for the response to this fic; it's been really awesome to see how much everyone's enjoying it. Now, can y'all go check out Not Just a Cop and show it some love as well, cause I'm just as excited about where that fic's headed as I am about this one.**_

* * *

"So what's next?"

Kate Beckett frowned, though it was more from being lost in thought than annoyance at her unorthodox partner. All the logic in the world screamed that her arrangement with mystery novelist Richard Castle made no sense, and yet he had proven himself helpful on cases and more than ever, he was proving to be as reliable a partner as Ryan and Esposito – just without the state-issued firearm or anything resembling police training.

Still, he was useful, loyal, and increasingly gallant. As appreciative as Kate was for that, she also found it clouding her judgment of the man. He had gone from constant annoyance to friend in the matter of months – even after betraying her trust – and now he was even proving to be a trusted confidant.

Something she hadn't had in years. Frankly, the thought scared Kate.

"I guess I hadn't thought that far," she admitted with a shrug. "I just wanted people to stop dying."

"You mean aside from Gary McCallister?"

"Who was killed _before_ I made the deal with Bracken," Kate argued, even as she realized it was a flimsy reasoning. "It's been almost a week since, and frankly, I don't see why we need to hide anymore. Why aren't we returning to the city?"

Castle blinked, leaning back against the edge of his desk. "Be-to, uh…to keep you safe."

Kate narrowed her gaze and folding her arms, trying her damnedest to ignore the sound of the waves crashing against the shore from over Castle's shoulder. The view from his office was as spectacular as any of the others, and Kate had to admit – to herself and only to herself – that she really didn't want to leave The Hamptons either.

"We've already struck the deal with Bracken," she argued. "And Roy's gonna be laid to rest tomorrow. Evelyn's asked me to deliver his eulogy."

Castle unfolded his arms before folding them again, his blue eyes darting everywhere in the office and refusing to focus on her. Kate cocked her head to the side and approached again, hands on her hips now as a teasing brow quirked upward.

"You're…you like having me up here, don't you?"

"No!" Castle cringed as soon as he said it; what was it the Bard once wrote about protesting too much? His shoulders relaxed and he heaved a small sigh. "Okay, yes. But…it's not just that. It's…Kate, there's gonna be a new captain now, and—"

"And you're worried whoever's in charge won't honor the agreement you had with Montgomery," Kate finished with a nod, pursing her lips.

She had to admit – again, just to herself – that she had the same thought. Funny thing was, several months ago, she would've done cartwheels at the thought. Now she couldn't imagine going to work without Castle there anymore. He'd become part of the team, in his own way, and she meant it when she'd told him that she liked having him around.

Kate didn't dare think any further on that, lest she discover some truth about herself that she would just as soon keep hidden behind the wall around her heart. But the thought of walking into the Twelfth every day without seeing him – and drinking his coffee – made her skin crawl.

"Am I a terrible person if I said yes?" he asked.

"No," Kate said with a shake of her head, trying to fight back the smile tugging on her lips. "There is…Evelyn also asked if you'd be a pallbearer."

"She did?" Castle straightened his posture, somewhat taken aback. "And…how do you feel about that?"

"I'm still mad that Roy kept the truth from me for so long," she admitted, ducking her head and crossing her arms over her chest again, hunching her shoulders. "But…I understand why he did it. He was trying to protect me, and when it became clear he couldn't anymore, he was trying to come clean."

"He sacrificed himself to help you."

Kate nodded and swallowed, letting the tears pool in her eyes. For some reason, she no longer felt the need to hide here motions when it came to the man standing in front of her. "Yeah…"

"I would be honored," Castle said, closing the distance between himself and Kate and gently placing a hand on her shoulder. He gave her a small, warm smile when she looked up at him, but the smile faded when he saw the tears in her eyes. "Kate…"

Without any indication that she would, Kate pressed herself against her partner, closing her eyes and slipping her arms around Castle's chest. When his arms did the same around her shoulders, Kate finally let the tears fall, surprising even herself with the gesture. She could feel Castle's heart thundering away inside his chest, and she could swear it picked up speed when she wrapped herself into him.

This was unlike anything they'd ever done before. She'd never let Castle see her this vulnerable, and Castle had never before allowed himself to comfort Kate like this. He always had the words – a quip here, some words of encouragement there – but physical comfort was never something they did.

Until now, apparently.

"Kate…"

"Thank you, Castle," she muttered against his chest, sniffling and loosening her grip just enough to look up at him. She cursed herself when another tear slipped down her cheek, only to have Castle's thumb swipe at it.

"For what?"

Kate shrugged and let go of Castle to swipe at her eyes with both hands, trying not to focus on the lingering scent of his aftershave. That was the last thing she needed to be thinking about right now. Being this vulnerable and open in front of him was hard and scary enough; she didn't need it complicated any further.

"For being there," she said before clearing her throat. "For having my back."

"That's what partners do," he offered.

"Will you stand with me?" Kate sniffled, reaching for Castle's hand. "When I give the eulogy?"

A smile crept onto Castle's face, and it was unlike any smile he had given her to this point. There was no mirth, so self-absorption. Instead, when the area around his eyes crinkled, Kate saw nothing but sincerity and something else she didn't want to quite name at the moment. She felt him give her hand a squeeze.

"I'll stand with you no matter where you are," he said softly. "Always."

* * *

The week following Roy Montgomery's assassination had been fraught at the Twelfth Precinct. The investigation had practically shut down the bullpen once Internal Affairs took over – and Detectives Ryan and Esposito were struggling with their current case, both because of the hassle of dealing with IA and because they were on the case themselves.

Ryan and Esposito were capable detectives, but the fact that their captain was gone – shot dead in his own office – and the fact that their squad leader had immediately bolted for who knew where to do who knew what left them emotionally ragged. The lack of sleep left them physically ragged, and the result was a slow-moving case that was leading them nowhere.

The elevator dinged and doors spilled open. As soon as Detective Ryan saw the woman storming out of the box with purpose, her red pant suit clashing with the drab surroundings of the bullpen, his posture stiffened. He tapped Esposito on the shoulder and nodded once when his partner scowled at him.

Esposito's shoulders instantly slacked. "Shit…"

"Man, what's Iron Gates doing here?"

"I dunno, bro," Esposito whispered. "But if she's investigating this, we're all—"

"Where is Detective Kate Beckett?"

Victoria Gates' voice carried in the relatively empty bullpen further than either detective would've liked. Esposito glanced down at his paperwork to hide the cringe on his face as Ryan stood up a little straighter.

"Ma'am—"

"Do you see my mother anywhere around here?"

Ryan blinked. "No…?"

"Well, if you do, you can call _her_ ma'am." Gates folded her arms and narrowed her eyes. "You can call me sir. Or captain."

Esposito frowned. "Captain?"

"I've been appointed as this precinct's new captain," she explained. "And I wanna know where my best detective is."

Esposito stood. "Sir, Beckett's out tracking—"

"Save it," Gates interrupted with a wave of her hand. "I know she hasn't been here since Montgomery's death."

"Then why—"

"To see if you'd tell me the truth or if you'd cover for your colleague." Gates arched a brow. "I admire your loyalty, gentlemen. I'm sure she's earned it over the years. I only hope that one day I can engender the same loyalty. But really, where is she?"

The two detectives exchanged a look before Esposito nodded. Ryan, clearly not liking where this was going by the look on his face, forced a smile at his new boss. "We honestly don't know where Beckett is…sir. We haven't seen her since the day Captain Montgomery was killed."

Gates arched her brow even higher. "And when was the last time you spoke with her?"

"Two days ago," Esposito admitted. "After John Raglan was murdered."

"Is she on the case?"

"No, sir."

Gates' eyes narrowed once more, and she leaned back against the edge of Detective Esposito's desk as she studied the two men across from her. She nodded once and pursed her lips. "There's something you two aren't telling me."

"No, sir," Ryan shook his head. "We don't know anything."

"I don't believe you."

"Permission to speak freely, sir."

Gates raised her chin. "This is not the military, Detective. Speak your mind."

"We don't know where Beckett is," Esposito explained. "All we know is, she has reason to believe Roy Montgomery's assassination has her in the crosshairs, so she and Castle went into hiding."

Gates frowned. "Castle?"

"Yeah." Ryan and Esposito exchanged another look. "Richard Castle, the novelist."

"I know who he is," Gates practically snapped. "Rich little playboy who likes to play cop. Did he put her up to this?"

"We think this has something to do with her mother's case."

The scowl on Gates' face deepened, and she leaned forward even more with a shake of her head. "Why would Johanna Beckett's murder lead to Roy Montgomery taking a sniper bullet to the head?"

Esposito glanced over his shoulder before nodding to his partner. As Esposito rose and walked toward the conference room adjacent to the captain's office – which was still blocked off by yellow crime scene tape – Ryan beckoned for Gates to follow.

"Because Raglan's report was a cover-up."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Author's Note: If I play my cards right, there should be about three more chapters after this. Reviews are love!**_

* * *

If Kate Beckett were being honest with herself, the fact that they were laying Roy Montgomery to rest on a beautiful, sun-splashed day made her uncomfortable. This was the sort of day made for picnics and lounging about in Central Park, not burying a police captain who would now be given a civilian funeral because of the investigation into his past conduct.

The way the birds chirped from the trees, this was the sort of day to book tee times, to finish some much-needed yard work or grab some friends to go shoot hoops. No, in Kate's experience, funerals were supposed to only occur on dreary, cloudy days – days where the winds swirl and the clouds hang low in the sky.

The day they buried Johanna Beckett, the gatherers had been inundated with snow and freezing rain. The weather had been so bad that everyone agreed to postpone the reception until the next day when the skies were at least a bit clearer.

But here everyone gathered to lay Roy Montgomery to rest and there were no clouds. Not one drop of rain. Kate was already uncomfortable in her dress blues; the heat of the sun bearing down on her made it even worse. This might have been a civilian ceremony now, but Kate would be damned if she was going to bury her captain in anything but her NYPD-issued uniform.

The sweat tickled her brow as Kate joined Esposito, Ryan, Castle, and two of the Twelfth's uniformed officers. Like Kate, the other cops had dressed in their uniforms, the badge insignia on their hats gleaming in the sunlight. Castle wore a black suit with black shirt and tie, a pair of sunglasses masking the emotions he felt yet didn't dare give voice to – which Kate found odd, since that was her thing.

Still, she had asked him to come, to serve as pallbearer and to stand by her while she gave the eulogy. He accepted and had treated the entire situation with the gravity it deserved – even helping Kate with her speech. She couldn't tell if he was doing so out of respect to Roy or because of whatever was developing between them.

Knowing him, it was probably both.

They briefly locked eyes once Montgomery's casket was laid on the riser. Esposito joined Lanie among the crowd, while Ryan took his seat next to Jenny and their hands clasped together. The two uniformed officers took their seats near the back of the gathering. Castle had briefly argued for his mother and daughter to attend as well, but Kate talked him out of it for the same reason she didn't want her father showing up: as far as she knew, they were still targets, and the fewer potential innocents caught in the proverbial crossfire, the better.

Kate stood beside Castle near the lectern, their hands briefly brushing together. She cursed herself for the stomach flutter the contact caused; this was the last place she needed to act like a proverbial schoolgirl with a crush.

The preacher spoke, yet Kate didn't take in his words. She was too busy going over her own, trying not to let the tightness in her throat become tears in her eyes. The last thing Kate wanted to do was break down in the middle of the eulogy – it was actually part of why she'd asked Castle to stand with her. He was her anchor, she was discovering.

The preacher stepped aside, and Kate sucked in a deep, ragged breath. She cast a sideways glance to her partner, seeing his gaze focused solely on her. Castle grabbed her hand before she could approach the lectern, giving it a squeeze and nodding in her direction.

"You've got this," he whispered.

She smiled at him, her eyes watery as Kate reluctantly removed her hand from his and approached the wooden podium. He had a knack not just for words, but for knowing when they were needed. For someone as outrageous and silly as Castle was most of the time, he also knew when to put that away, when to use his power for good.

Kate glanced down at her notes, and she could still feel him on her hand. It was weird, definitely not something she could explain, but it still felt as if his hand were in hers.

With another deep breath, her bottom lip already starting to quiver, Kate stole one last glance over her shoulder. Castle stood with his hands clasped together in front of himself, having removed his sunglasses. She could see the confidence in his blue eyes, along with something else – something she'd seen plenty of times before, but hadn't wanted to give voice to.

Maybe later, but certainly not now.

She nodded once and lightly smiled before turning back to her notes. Kate forced herself to look at the crowd gathered, her heart skipping a beat when she saw Evelyn and her two daughters sitting on the front row. For what felt like the hundredth time, Kate wasn't sure she could actually do this.

And yet…

"Roy Montgomery taught me everything I know about being a cop," she began, her voice surprisingly steady. "So much of what you learn they never teach you at the Academy, and even my training officer…" Kate's voice trailed off; she had called Mike Royce the night after Montgomery's death but got his voicemail and had yet to hear back.

"Roy brought me to Homicide," she continued, straightening her posture. "He molded me, took this determined, slightly damaged girl and turned her into an honest-to-god detective. For the longest time, I didn't know what he saw in me." She paused to exchange another glance with Castle. "Sometimes, I still wonder."

Taking another moment to gather herself, Kate pocketed the note card on which she had jotted down her thoughts. She thought having them in front of her would be calming, but it was having the exact opposite effect. So instead, Kate let herself take in everyone's faces.

"It should be known that one of Roy's last acts was to protect me," she said, trying to ignore the confused look Castle was giving her. This bit hadn't made it to the note card. "So whatever you hear about him in the coming days, whatever people will have you think, know that Roy Montgomery died trying to right a wrong."

Kate looked down again, mostly to gather herself, only to snap her head back up again when she heard Castle shouting her name. By the time the shocked looks on everyone's faces registered, Kate was tackled to the ground, gasping in pain when her left shoulder slammed against the grass. More shouts and gasps overwhelmed her senses, and Kate tried in vain to push her partner off of her.

Somewhere in the scrum, she had heard Esposito shout "Beckett down!" She lifted her head as much as she could, confused because aside from the pain in her shoulder and the weight of her partner on top of her, she felt fine. She heard Lanie shout something but couldn't make out the words; instead, Kate reached around Castle and placed her hand on his back.

Her fingers caught something warm and sticky, and Kate's heart skipped a beat. She brought her hand up off of Castle's back, and when Kate saw the red on her fingers, she felt sick to her stomach.

But…how? When? She never heard a gunshot.

"Castle's been shot!" Kate shouted as loudly as she could, even though his weight on top of her was making it hard to breathe. Or maybe it was the panic flaring in her chest at the realization that there was a bullet in her partner's back – and that someone put it there while they were burying Roy Montgomery.

Kate pressed her hand to the wound again, even though the feeling of his blood on her fingers made her gag. She heard Ryan screaming for an ambulance in the background, and out of the corner of her eye, Kate saw the two uniforms barreling off in the direction of a tombstone in the distance.

"Stay with me, Rick," she whispered in a shaky voice, blinking back tears. "Please, just…don't die on me, okay?"

"Not," Castle wheezed, and his chuckle sounded terrible as he struggled to breathe, "not…how I pictured…being on top of you…"

Kate choked back a sob and a laugh, keeping pressure on the wound. "You're gonna be fine," she lied, her voice cracking. "Help's on the way."

"Couldn't," Castle's voice was rough, and the sound of it made Kate's skin crawl, "saw something…couldn't let them…"

"Shh," Kate soothed, even as tears fell down her cheeks. "Stay with me, Rick."

"I," Castle croaked, and Kate's hand pressed down harder on his back when she felt his body going slack against her, "I love you, Kate…"

* * *

As soon as the doctors wheeled Richard Castle into surgery, Kate Beckett turned, staggered to the nearest trash can, and immediately buried her face in it. She vomited out the contents of her stomach in a series of loud, gut-wrenching gags and heaves, her knuckles white against the edge of the can.

She purged herself of all of the tension that had built up in the near hour since her partner had been shot, and once Kate's retching devolved to little more than painful dry heaves, she let herself collapse against the wall, running shaky, blood-soaked fingers through her hair. A nurse approached in concern, but Kate shook her head and waved her off.

"Miss…"

"I'm _fine_," Kate insisted, despite how pale she was and the fact that she was still shaking. But the nurse got the hint, turning to walk away as Detectives Ryan and Esposito burst through the double doors and immediately approached her.

Kate forced herself back to her feet, leaning against the wall in case her knees decided to give out. She swallowed back the dread and tried to put up a good front, even though she understood she was dealing with two men who made their living picking up on people's tells. But she trusted them to know her well enough not to pry.

Not now.

"Where is he?" Ryan huffed, trying to catch his breath.

"They just took him into surgery," Kate answered, cradling her arms over her stomach. "Guys, I think that bullet was meant for me."

"CSU's running another sweep of the cemetery," Esposito said. "They've already found the weapon, a military-grade sniper rifle, a lot like the sort of thing I used in Iraq. No other evidence so far, but if CSU finds something, you know we'll be on it."

"You think we should give Castle's folks a call?" Ryan asked.

Kate's head shot up, and she immediately clasped a hand over her mouth again. She had completely forgotten about that, and honestly, she wasn't even sure where Martha and Alexis were. She couldn't remember Castle telling her anything about them when they fled to the Hamptons.

"I'll do it," Kate said, pushing herself off the wall and digging for the phone in her pocket. Once again, she saw the blood – _his_ blood – dried onto her fingers, and her hands shook so bad that she almost dropped the phone.

Esposito placed a hand on her shoulder and led her to one of the chairs in the waiting room. Kate, too exhausted to fight him over it, sank herself down into the cushion that was far too hard for her liking before she felt Esposito gently take the phone out of her hand and give it off to Detective Ryan.

Ryan took the phone with a nod and wandered over to the corner, undoubtedly making the call.

"Hey," Esposito was on his knees in front of Kate, his hand on her wrist. "Beckett, look at me."

Reluctantly, Kate did just that, tears again pooling in her eyes.

"Castle's gonna be okay," he offered. "And Ryan and I are gonna find the son of a bitch who pulled that trigger."

Kate tore her eyes away from Esposito, not because she didn't believe him, but because yet again the emotions of the moment overwhelmed her. The tears streaked down her cheeks whether she wanted them to or not, and Kate's hands balled into fists. She sniffled and sucked in a shaky breath before finally looking at Esposito again, her eyes red and bloodshot.

"He told me he loved me, Javi," she whispered. "Right before he passed out."

Esposito's face momentarily hardened before his shoulders slacked and his expression softened again. He nodded once, and judging from the look on his face, Kate could tell he wasn't surprised. Of course he wasn't.

"And do you?"

Kate frowned and cocked her head to the side.

"Do you love him back?"

"Javi, the man's fighting for his life—"

"Do you love him?"

Kate sighed and her shoulders hunched as she swiped at another tear rolling down her cheek. She tore her eyes away from Esposito's, wishing like hell he hadn't forced her to face that reality right now. The thought was scary enough when Castle was healthy and cracking inappropriate jokes and spouting wild, baseless theories; she didn't have a word for how much her feelings for the man scared her when he was in surgery.

"I," she started, her voice cracking, "I think I do."

Or if she didn't yet, Kate was certainly on her way. If nothing else, this entire ordeal had taught her that whatever feelings she had for Castle weren't figments of her imagination. Apparently, his feelings for her weren't made up, either – that thought should've brought Kate comfort, but all it really did was scare the hell out of her.

Especially since he was being cut open as they spoke, sitting on death's door.

"Detective Kate Beckett?"

The unfamiliar voice cut into the moment, and the scowl on Kate's face was as much out of annoyance than anything else. She looked up just as Esposito got up to join his partner on the other side of the waiting room, seeing a tall man with ghost-white hair standing near the doorway to the stairwell. His clothes were drab, as if he were trying to blend in.

She sat up a little straighter with a sniffle. "That's me."

"Follow me," the man ordered with a nod toward the door. "We need to talk."

Her scowl deepening, Kate rose to her feet. "Who the hell are you?"

"You can call me Smith," the man answered, cracking open the door to the stairwell, "and I have information regarding the man who killed Johanna Beckett – in addition to the man who shot Richard Castle."


	8. Chapter 8

_**Author's Note: Apologies for the length of time between chapters; I spent this past week finalizing the publication of my debut novel, BOUNTY! I'm really excited to be a published author now, and if you're interested, you can find BOUNTY in both paperback and Kindle format over at Amazon; the paperback is also available on CreateSpace. Give it a try!**_

_**Also, two more chapters!**_

* * *

"What do you mean, you have information?" Kate Beckett shook her head. "What else is there?"

The man named Smith shut the door to the stairwell behind himself before turning toward Kate and slipping his hands into his pockets. "The man who shot Richard Castle is the same man who killed John Raglan and Roy Montgomery."

Kate cocked her head to the side. "And you know this how?"

And why would the man wait until now to come forth with this information? The Montgomery and Raglan murders – "assassinations" was probably the more appropriate term – were still open cases, with the NYPD beating its head against the proverbial wall looking for leads. Kate folded her arms over her chest and chewed on her lower lip, her throat still stinging from her earlier retching.

"I was a friend of Montgomery's," Smith explained. "I was the one who provided him with the files he hid to keep you safe."

And what a bang-up job those files had done, keeping everyone safe. Kate was half-tempted to toss those files into a fireplace and be rid of them once and for all. Screw the deal she had with Bracken; he had already violated their terms when he sent the sniper to Montgomery's funeral. Kate didn't have confirmation that Bracken was behind it, but she didn't need it.

She already knew.

"Alright, spill." Kate's patience was wearing thin.

"His name is Hal Lockwood," Smith explained. "Don't bother running him through any of your databases, you won't find anything. He's one of Bracken's hired hands."

As Kate began to pace, the name Hal Lockwood didn't register. She cared less about who was behind that snipe rifle and more about the fact that she was probably next. In fact, she was the intended target at the cemetery. Castle was in surgery because he managed to get in front of her just in time.

That reality brought a wave of guilt with it, and Kate stopped moving before gripping the railing of the stairwell. Her jaw clenched and her knuckles turned white. That bullet was meant for her, and increasingly dependable and outright _stupid_ partner took it for her. Chances were, Lockwood knew that - which meant there was no telling when he would try again.

In her fog, Kate briefly considered digitizing the files. If she could destroy the hard copies, maybe that would buy her some time. The files were nothing but trouble; they had already cost Roy Montgomery his life, and they might wind up costing Castle his.

Besides, it was far easier to keep a jump drive than a stack of manila folders.

"So what am I supposed to do?" Kate shrugged. "Wait for him to come at me again?"

"No." Smith approached slowly, his hands still in his pockets. "I know about the deal you struck with Bracken. Obviously, he didn't hold up his end of the deal. So I say it's time you take him down, once and for all."

"And I will." Kate stood up a little straighter, her shoulders square. "Just as soon as Castle's okay."

"I'm afraid you don't have that kind of time, Detective." Smith offered the ghost of a smile when Kate glared at him. "If Mr. Castle makes it out of surgery, he's looking at a length recovery. Physical rehab, likely a lot of therapy. To say nothing of what his actions might do to your partnership. You sit around and wait for him to get better, you're practically begging Senator Bracken to take you out."

As much as Kate hated to admit it, Smith was right. She couldn't wait on this. If she was going to take down Bracken, avenge her mother's death, and continue building whatever it was she had with Castle – even now, his declaration rang in her ears – then it had to happen soon. The longer she waited, the more dangerous it would be.

"Alright, say I take down Bracken," Kate mused. "What about Lockwood?"

This time, Smith's smile was fuller. "You let me handle him."

* * *

_Four days later…_

Kate had given the boys Hal Lockwood's name after her meeting with Smith, and as he had predicted, the search led nowhere. But she knew what this case meant to both Ryan and Esposito, and she knew they would take however much time they needed until Hal Lockwood was behind bars or in the ground.

Under different circumstances, Kate would've joined them. But she had been by Castle's side nearly every moment since he got out of surgery. Doctors had expressed gratitude that the bullet had barely missed his lung, instead glancing off of his clavicle, but the amount of blood Castle lost had meant his recovery was touch-and-go.

Martha and Alexis had been by his side almost as long as Kate, and much to Kate's surprise, neither of them expressed any animosity toward her. Even though Kate felt responsible for Castle being shot, the redheads seemed not to share her opinion.

The steady beep of the heart monitor in the corner helped calm Kate's nerves. Castle was still unconscious, but as long as his heart rate remained steady and normal, that was a good sign. The doctors were also encouraged; he wasn't out of the woods yet, but he had made it through the hardest part – surgery – and chances were he'd recover fully in time.

Kate just needed to make sure she was there when he did.

She glanced at her watch with a sigh. Senator Bracken was set to meet with donors and reporters outside his Manhattan office in an hour. If she left in the next few minutes, Kate would be able to get there in time to arrest him. She wanted reporters to see it, too, because for Kate this was personal. This wasn't just an arrest.

She wanted to bring Bracken down, and she wanted it to hurt.

"I heard you," she admitted to the otherwise empty room. Kate foolishly stared at Castle, hoping for a finger twitch or an eye movement – something to let her know that he had heard her. Yet he remained perfectly still. "I heard you, Rick. I'm not ready to say it back yet, but…given time, I could be."

Kate didn't know what she felt for Castle at the moment, but she knew it was there and she couldn't deny it anymore. Not when he'd put himself on the line the way he did – even before the funeral. He didn't have to pony up $100,000 to catch Rathbourne. He didn't have to stand at gunpoint while Dick Coonan tried to bargain his way free. He didn't have to run off with her when it was clear she was no longer safe. He didn't have to sift through those files to piece together Bracken's conspiracy. He didn't have to help her formulate their next plan of attack.

Yet he did all of those things. Because he was loyal and stalwart and dependable in ways she never expected – not because he wasn't a cop, but because it was so different from the insufferable man-child she first met roughly a year and a half ago.

And because he loved her. She didn't love him, but as she watched the steady rise and fall of his chest, Kate knew it wouldn't be long before she did. And as much as that thought terrified her, the thought of losing him scared her even more.

Only the sound of the heart monitor kept Kate company. She approached Castle's bed, lightly trailing her fingers over the back of his hand – the one not connected to the IV drip. She slowly wrapped her fingers around his hand, a sad smile creeping onto her face.

"I need to go take care of something, okay?" She gave Castle's hand a light squeeze, buying herself some time with a deep breath. "No more waiting. No more games. I'm taking care of this _now_…and then I'll be right here, waiting for you."

* * *

_Manhattan…_

The flashbulbs were nearly constant against the backdrop outside of William Bracken's Manhattan offices, and his smile was as practiced as his hand wave. One didn't get to where Senator Bracken was today by not practicing the finer points. How to make a smile feel genuine even when it wasn't, how to look someone you couldn't care less about in the eye and actually remember their name.

The people gathered in front of the office – the ones without cameras and microphones – were considered Senator Bracken's constituents, and to some degree, that was the case. They were the ones who would cast the ballots that would ultimately send Bracken back to the Senate. With any luck, they would one cast a ballot sending him to the White House.

But Bracken's _real_ constituents, his benefactors, were waiting inside, their pockets lined with more money than most people could imagine and their lives bursting at the seams with prestige, influence, and power. Many of them had helped Bracken become the man he was today, and he had even surpassed some of them.

It was best they remembered that, too.

"Thank you!" he called out. "Thank you for coming! This is a fantastic turn-out, and I'm glad to see so many of you out here showing your support. And yes," the Senator's grin turned sly, "I'm even glad the media's here."

Forced laughter filled the crowd, only to die down as a dark-haired woman began weaving her way through the crowd. Hardly anyone paid her any mind as she did, and though Senator Bracken noticed her, he thought nothing of it since he couldn't see her face.

"Once again, I just want to remind everyone," the Senator continued, "that if you're not yet registered to vote, the deadline is next Thursday."

"Absolutely, you should register to vote," a female voice called out from the front of the crowd, just in time for Senator Bracken to look down and see her approaching him up the steps, gold badge clinging to her hip, "but William Bracken won't be on the ballot."

Bracken's eyes went wide once he saw who was approaching him. "What are you—"

By this point, all of the cameras were trained on Detective Kate Beckett, and she had to fight the urge to roll her eyes as whispered mutters of _Nikki Heat_ spread among the crowd. Keeping one hand trained on her service piece, Kate straightened her posture, determined not to show the slightest hint of weakness in front of this man.

Clenching his jaw, Senator Bracken cupped his hand over the microphone one of the television reporters had shoved in his face. "I thought we had a deal," he whispered.

"Deal's off." Kate wasn't whispering. "You violated the terms of our agreement when you hired the sniper that tried to shoot me at Captain Montgomery's funeral."

The reporters were clamoring at this point, crawling all over each other, shouting questions in unison to the point that no one word was distinguishable from the next. Flashbulbs continued going off, TV cameras zooming in for what was apparently shaping up to be quite the confrontation.

"Richard Castle is in intensive care," she announced before Senator Bracken could reply, trying to ignore that the media seemed to go into even more of a frenzy upon hearing that news. "He took the bullet that was meant for me."

Bracken huffed in nervous laughter. "Detective, I don't know what you—"

"Turn around, Senator," she ordered.

The nervous smile on Bracken's face disappeared. "What?"

"I said, turn around," Kate repeated, pulling the handcuffs out of her pocket, suppressing the urge to smile when some in the crowd gasped. "Senator Bracken, you are under arrest—"

"This is outrageous!"

Kate grabbed Senator Bracken by the arm, forcefully turning his back to her as the flashbulbs intensified even more. She slapped her cuffs onto his right wrist before repeating the motion on his left, then turned the Senator to face the media horde below. They wanted Nikki Heat? She'd indulge them just a little bit.

"Senator Bracken, you are under arrest for conspiracy, money laundering, fraud, and at least three counts of murder," Kate's voice cracked and she stood up a little straighter, "including the murder of my mother, Johanna Beckett."

The scrum parted as Kate led Senator Bracken down the steps and toward a waiting squad car, where a uniformed officer held the right rear door open until bracken had been led into the seat. Once the door slammed shut, the car pulled away, and Kate stood at the sidewalk, watching it leave as tears filled her eyes.

She could feel the horde of reporters behind her, and she knew without question she would have to speak them before leaving. So with a deep breath, Kate hunched her shoulders and turned on the balls of her feet, nodding toward the crowd and its tree of microphones.

"I'm sure you all have a lot of questions," she addressed the media, "and all of those answers will come in time, but for right now, let me just say justice was served today, and that it was a long time coming."

"Is Richard Castle gonna be alright?" a voice called out from the crowd.

Fighting the urge to both eyeroll and smile, Kate nodded once. "Mr. Castle is out of surgery and though he remains in intensive care, doctors expect him to make a full recovery."

"Do you have any proof of these allegations, Detective?"

This time, Kate did smile.

"As a matter of fact, I do."


	9. Chapter 9

_**Author's Note: Again, the response to this fic has been amazing, and I am so thankful for all of you for reading it.**_

_**A few readers took issue with the last chapter in which I wrote that Kate wasn't in love with Castle yet, but she could tell that she was on her way to that. That's how I interpreted season 2 Beckett: as someone who wasn't quite in love with Castle, but definitely felt something for him and was definitely on her way. She might've been "in love" with him in the sense that his books helped her get through a tough time, but I think their initial meetings undid a lot of that. But to each their own, I guess.**_

_**Anyway, one more chapter to go!**_

* * *

No sooner did Javier Esposito and Kevin Ryan walk into the abandoned apartment on the Lower East Side, they were greeted with the sight of a dead body. A man laid prone on the hardwood floor, arms splayed out to the sides. Dark eyes stared at the ceiling, lifeless. A small hole was centered on the man's forehead, a thin trail of blood having run from the hole down the left side of the man's nose, stopping just shy of his stubble.

A small hole in the window had already been marked off by CSU investigators, and Lanie Parish jotted furiously onto her clipboard, standing next to the body.

Ryan sighed with relief as he brushed his fingers along the service piece on his hip. "Guess we don't have to ask cause of death."

"Pretty self-explanatory," Lanie said, cradling her clipboard under her arm.

Ryan quirked a brow. "ID?"

"Nothing on him," Lanie said with a shake of her head as Esposito crossed to the back of the apartment, studying a stack of papers and files strewn about the surface of a desk. He grabbed one of the sheets of paper and frowned before his head shot up and be motioned for his partner.

"Bro, come look at this," he said. "Think I just found our ID."

Ryan crossed to the back of the apartment as well, dodging the crime scene photographer along the way and furrowing his brow at the piece of paper in his partner's hand. Esposito handed the sheet to Ryan, an expectant look on his face. The sheet was an invoice, complete with photocopied ID card. But once Ryan read the name on the top of the page, his head whipped back up and he locked eyes with Esposito.

"No way…"

"Yep," Esposito confirmed as they approached the dead body on the floor again, examining the stubbled cheeks and the hollow eyes. "We just found Hal Lockwood."

"That can't be," Ryan argued. "When is it ever that easy?"

"Bro," Esposito cautioned, "our sniper just got killed by a sniper. Where's the easy in that?"

* * *

By the time Kate Beckett returned to the hospital, her eyes were bloodshot. Arresting William Bracken had brought with it a tide of emotion that wasn't entirely unexpected. Fortunately, she was able to keep the tears at bay until most of the preliminaries were complete, and even by the time she couldn't hold them back anymore, others had taken over the proceedings.

Kate knew this wasn't over. The charges still had to be formally filed, and knowing Bracken the way she did, there was no telling just how smart and ruthless his legal team would be. Still, she had taken the time to swing by the cemetery, to share the news with her mother and give her the privacy to get everything out.

She wasn't about to cry in the precinct, and Kate didn't want to return to her apartment. Truth was, she didn't much care for that place anymore. It didn't feel like home – and not just because it felt like it had been weeks since she'd been there. The creaky floorboards and the rusty pipes were homey in their own way, but somehow the solitude of it no longer suited her.

Kate didn't know when that had changed, or why.

She didn't feel like being emotional at Richard Castle's bedside, either, because there was no telling when the redheads would show up or even when her partner would regain consciousness. She didn't want his first sight upon waking up to be her face all puffy and riddled with emotion. Not that he'd ever judge her, but that wasn't the first impression she wanted for him.

Doctors were optimistic that he would awaken any day now. His vitals were strong, the surgical wound was healing more and more by the day. Castle's survival was looking more and more likely as time passed, and while that was fantastic news, Kate knew it meant they were getting closer to a talk they desperately needed to have – a talk she dreaded.

Not because she didn't feel anything for him, but because she was terrible at talking.

"I got him, Rick," she said to the otherwise empty room, the rhythmic beep of the heart monitor the only response Kate received. "I marched right up to him and arrested him. Even made a show of it. You'd be proud of that."

Kate thought she might have seen Castle's lips turn into a grin, but chances were her mind was playing tricks on her. This wasn't going to be like the movies, where something she said would ultimately pull Castle out of his slumber. The voice of a loved one bringing someone back from the brink was magical, the sort of thing _he_ would believe in.

So why did the thought cross _her_ mind?

Unless…unless she loved him, too.

Kate sank down in her chair with a sigh, glancing out the window and biting her lower lip. She felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders; even admitting that simple truth to herself had relieved her of the burden. The thought of telling him still scared Kate – though she couldn't tell why, since she already knew he reciprocated her feelings – but merely being true with herself had been liberating.

And terrifying.

"He's gonna lawyer up," she added, because for some reason, the sound of her own voice calmed her. "If he hasn't already. But thanks to the file, and the tape, I think our case is solid. I just…" She huffed a sigh and shook her head. "I just hope there's no one above him to come after us, you know?"

Kate cringed as she stood, cursing herself for the fact that it was easier for her to say these things while Castle was unconscious. Every time she thought about saying something meaningful to him before, she had either clammed up or let something else get in the way. It was a bit cowardly of her, she understood, and it had to change.

She covered his hand with her own, swallowing thickly. "I get why you dug into my mom's case. You know, before. You were trying to help, in your own way. I meant what I said when I told you that you violated by trust, but…I get it, Castle. And…if you weren't forgiven before, then taking a bullet for me kinda tips the scales in your favor."

Kate laughed at her own quip, even as tears again brimmed in her eyes. She straightened her posture and sucked in a deep breath to keep them from falling because frankly, she was tired of crying.

Movement out of the corner of her eye caught Kate's attention, and she looked down just in time to see Castle's fingers twitch. She stood perfectly still and held her breath, wondering if it was just an involuntary twitch or if it was a sign that her partner was starting to come out of it. Kate didn't dare move for what felt like an eternity, waiting for the next twitch.

Instead, Castle groaned and his head listed to the right as his hand flexed.

Her eyes wide, Kate clasped a hand over her mouth before turning on the balls of her feet and storming out of Castle's room, hollering for a doctor – and not ashamed to admit that she would flash her badge if she had to.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Victoria Gates removed her black-rim glasses, "our sniper was killed by a sniper?"

"Yes, sir," Esposito said, exchanging a glance with his partner because honestly, calling the new female captain "sir" still felt weird to him. Ryan appeared to have no issue with it, but Esposito was still having a hard time with it.

"Hal Lockwood was killed by sniper bullet to the forehead," Ryan added.

"And we're _sure_ this Lockwood is our shooter?" Gates arched a disbelieving brow.

"Positive," Ryan said, handing Captain Gates a sheet of paper. "We found evidence in his apartment linking him to Senator Bracken – who, incidentally, is known in certain circles as 'The Dragon'."

Esposito frowned. "The Dragon?"

Ryan shrugged. "I didn't make it up, okay? I'm just reporting what we found."

"So our well-connected Senator tries to make like a half-assed comic book villain," Esposito explained, "using Lockwood as a hired gun to take out everyone connected to the Johanna Beckett case following Dick Coonan's death."

Gates nodded in understanding. "Montgomery, Raglan, McCallister…"

"And Beckett."

Gates leaned back in her chair, lifting her glasses back onto her face before studying the paper Ryan handed to her. Her eyes narrowed before she put the paper down on her desk and pinched the bridge of her nose. If nothing else, Lockwood's death would save them a load of paperwork; they couldn't charge him with three counts of murder and one count of attempted murder if he was already dead.

"So tell me this, Detectives…who would kill Hal Lockwood?"

Ryan shrugged. "I can think of a few people just in this room."

"Yeah, but none of us have access to a high-powered, military-grade sniper rifle," Esposito countered.

The sound of a throat clearing made the two detectives and the captain turn their attention to the doorway leading into Gates' office, where they saw a white-haired man standing with his hands in his pockets. He greeted them with an emotionless smile.

"I do," he said.

Gates removed her glasses again. "And you are…?"

"You can call me Smith," the man said. "I'm the man who had Hal Lockwood killed."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Author's Note: Here we are! The final chapter. Thank you all so much for the response to this fic; I think this has been my most popular fic to-date, and writing it was a blast. I hope you enjoyed it, and I hope you'll continue to support my other fics (and please buy my novel!). I may have another crossover fic in the wings, but I'm gonna sit on it a bit. Enjoy!**_

* * *

"So let me see if I understand this," Victoria Gates leaned forward in her seat, ignoring the flicker of the lights above her in Interrogation One. The bulb badly needed changing, but truth be told, the ambiance was fitting for this room. "You killed Hal Lockwood, but you _didn't_ kill Hal Lockwood?"

The man who, to this point, had only called himself Smith gave a tight nod, his lips pursed together and his hands clasped on the surface of the table. His drab clothes were as unremarkable as the white hair atop his head; that appearance, combined with the name Smith, gave him the anonymity he often desired.

Smith was content to be a background player. The only domino left standing while everyone else stared at the other ones toppling all over each other.

"Technically, Captain," he sat up a little straighter, "that's correct."

Gates removed her black-rim glasses and set them down before narrowing her gaze, cocking her head to the side as she studied Smith. He sat motionless, whereas most who wound up in the box would fidget or rock back and forth or even blink more than once every few seconds. Smith held an air of confidence about him – confidence usually reserved for either the truly innocent or those who didn't care about what they had done.

"So explain it to me," Gates sighed, grabbing for her glasses again. "Don't get me wrong, I'm glad the man who killed three former policemen and tried to kill my best detective is gone, but you understand this is still a homicide."

Smith gave a knowing smile. "Of course." He sat up a little straighter, casting a brief sideways glance at his own reflection in the two-way before turning his gaze back to Captain Gates. "I hired a man to take down Hal Lockwood."

Gates put her glasses back on, pen at the ready. "Does this man have a name?"

Smith shrugged. "I call him Maddox. Cole Maddox." Smith shook his head. "That's not his real name, though. Former Special Forces, been off the grid for the last two years. You won't find him in any of your databases."

Again, Gates removed her glasses. "You do realize that means we'll pin the crime on you."

"That's the idea, Captain." Smith shrugged again. "I've played my part in this sordid game. The buzzer's about to sound, and it's best I'm not around when it does."

"From what I can tell, all of the people who could do you harm are either in prison or dead," Gates countered, setting down her pen and folding her arms across her chest. "Are you saying you want to go to prison for protection?"

Smith chuckled and shook his head. "There's no telling when it comes to a man like Senator Bracken. His assets, his connections, are why Montgomery and I struck that deal with him in the first place."

"And yet Roy Montgomery is dead," Gates said. "And were it not for an overly foolish mystery writer, Detective Beckett would be, too. Forgive me for saying so, Mr. Smith, but these deals don't seem to mean a whole lot."

"Doesn't matter now," Smith shrugged again. "Detective Beckett slayed the Dragon."

"Which I'm sure will result in half a dozen more Nikki Heat novels," Gates muttered with a hint of a growl in her voice, shaking her head. "I want to believe this is really over, Mr. Smith, but this seems like the case that just keeps on giving."

Smith shook his head, a glimmer in his eye for the first time as he leaned forward, his elbows now resting on the surface of the table. "Trust me, Captain. Now that I've put a bullet in Hal Lockwood's head, Detective Beckett can go back to worrying about your garden-variety homicides. You know, bodies stuffed into dryers and hanging from trees."

"Stand up, Mr. Smith."

Smith did as asked, while Gates also rose from her seat and produced a pair of handcuffs from her suit jacket. She placed Smith's hands behind his back, latching the cuffs to his wrists. "Michael Smith," she announced. "You are under arrest for the murder of Hal Lockwood. You have the right to remain—"

"I wave it," Smith interrupted.

"Alright, then," Gates said with a nod. "Let's make your confession official."

* * *

Once the doctors cleared out of Richard Castle's room, convinced that everything was normal once he regained consciousness, Kate Beckett hadn't left his side. In fact, she hadn't let go of his hand the entire time, either; when it was time for lunch, Castle was relegated to eating his Jell-o cup one-handed.

Not that he minded, but Kate could see the quizzical glances he would throw her way every now and then. Two hours ago, Castle had a brief nap – despite his insistence that he wasn't tired after being unconscious for days – and she'd held his hand then too.

Never mind the fact that her palm was sweaty.

Since waking from that nap, Castle's eyes never left their conjoined hands, and every now and then, he'd squeeze. Something had shifted between them since this whole ordeal began, and she was buoyed by the fact that he felt it as well. Kate didn't know what it was, and she was somewhat afraid to give voice to it, but it was there. There was no denying that.

"So," he swallowed when his voice cracked from lack of use, "I saved your life."

"You did." Kate nodded and pursed her lips. "Go ahead and gloat, Castle. You've earned it."

Castle shook his head and grimaced when he tried to sit up, the surgical scar near his shoulder pulling. "No, no gloating," he said. "Just…" Castle shook his head and his jaw clenched. "Just please tell me you got the guy, Beckett."

"It wasn't us," Kate shook her head, her thumb tracing small circles over the space between Castle's thumb and forefinger. "A friend of Montgomery's took the guy out, same day I arrested Bracken."

Castle's stubbled face visibly brightened. "So it's over."

"Yeah, it is," Kate's voice lowered to almost a whisper, and she scooted her chair closer to Castle's bedside, her hand still clasped in his. "Look, Castle…"

"I know," he nodded. "What I did was dumb. And if the NYPD decides I can't shadow you anymore—"

"No!" Kate cringed at how the word blurted so forcefully out of her mouth, she shoulders deflating when she took a few seconds to gather herself. "No, Rick, that's not it. I mean, yeah, jumping in front of a bullet probably wasn't your brightest move, but you saved my life."

A ghost of a smile crept onto Castle's face. "And I'd do it again."

"Let's not test that theory," she countered, her free hand lifting to run her fingertips along his hair. One of the nurses had washed it not long after he came to, for which both he and Kate were grateful.

"Martha and Alexis will be here later on," she said. "Once Alexis gets out of school."

A soft smile crept onto Castle's face again, and his eyes fluttered shut while Kate's fingers were working along his scalp. He was silent for what felt like minutes, and Kate wondered if he had drifted off again. His shoulders relaxed and his breathing found a slow and steady rhythm. Kate was about to remove her fingers from his hair when his head turned again.

"Wish I could've been there," he whispered. "To see you make the arrest."

"I'm sure you'll see it on the news," Kate shook her head. "Did it right in front of the cameras. Even gave an interview after."

"Detective Beckett," Castle sat up and some of the mirth returned to his eyes, "I thought you hated publicity."

"I do." Kate shrugged. "But I wanted to humiliate him."

"Well, I hope it worked."

"You should've seen his face, Castle." Kate's face lit up into a genuine smile for the first time in what felt like weeks. "I don't think I've seen anyone that angry since the first time my dad saw my motorcycle."

Castle chuckled at that, careful not to go full-on laugh because of the scar still stitching back together near his shoulder. Certain movements caused it to pull and though he tried to hide the grimace each time, Kate could see the flare-up in his eyes. She said nothing about it, though, respecting his desire to keep the pain hidden.

Besides, that pain meant he was healing. Right?

"Castle…"

"I know you heard me," Castle said with a nod, pursing his lips.

Kate frowned. "How did you—"

"The silences," he explained. "We never go that long without saying anything. Even if you're yelling at me for something, we're never _silent_ like that, Beckett."

"What if I was just scared you were gonna die on me?"

Another boyish grin crept onto Castle's face, even though it hadn't met a razor is a little more than a week by now. "Detective Beckett, do I detect some actual concern for my well-being?"

"Yes, okay?" Kate admitted with a shake of her head, strands of hair framing her face when she ducked her gaze. "Alright? I'd care if something happened to you."

"Hey…"

"You're right, Castle." Kate lifted her head, forcing herself to meet his gaze even though she could feel the tears building in her eyes. "I did hear you. And first of all, your timing is terrible."

Castle huffed a laugh at that, his eyes focusing on their conjoined hands, as if he expected Kate to withdraw hers at any moment. He sucked in as deep a breath as the pain in his shoulder would allow, bracing himself for what he was hoping wouldn't happen.

"Look," Kate shook her head again, "I'm bad at this. You're the one who's good with words."

"Thank you for admitting I have talent, Beckett."

"Shut up," Kate rolled her eyes and bit back a smirk. "I'm trying to open up for once. Don't ruin it."

His smile this time was softer, and the way the edges of his eyes crinkled almost took her breath away. Kate ducked her head once more, her free hand twirling a strand of hair before tucking it behind her ear.

"Sorry," he whispered.

"I…" Kate huffed a frustrated sigh. "I don't love you." Her eyes widened when Castle's face fell, and Kate immediately cursed herself because that was absolutely the worst thing she could've said. "I mean… not right now. Castle, _not yet_."

She squeezed his hand in an effort to get Castle to look at her, her hazel orbs full of hope when his blue eyes finally lifted to meet hers. She allowed the tiniest flicker of a smile, both of her hands now cupping his.

"I will, though," she amended. "Probably before too much longer. I think I've known for a while this was where we were heading."

Castle arched a brow. "Is this because I saved your life?"

Kate shook her head. "No, I… I felt it before that. Before Coonan, even. I could tell. And then I killed Coonan and they shot Montgomery and we found the tape and…" Kate stopped to take in a deep breath, removing a hand from Castle's to wipe under her eye. "You didn't have to go with me, but you did. You didn't have to dive into that file with me, but you did. You could've walked away when things got too real, but you didn't."

"Cause I'm your partner," he offered.

"Yeah." Kate's smile widened. "Yeah, you are. And I think… I think I want more."

Castle opened his mouth to speak, but no words came. Kate ducked her head again with a laugh, shaking her head and scooting closer still to his bedside. "Did I just render Richard Castle speechless?"

All Castle could do was nod, a smile tugging on the corner of his lips and his blue eyes bright with love and disbelief.

"Castle, say something."

Castle arched a challenging brow. "What if I'd rather you kiss me right now?"

Kate smiled practically from ear to ear, leaning over Castle's bedside before cupping his face in both hands and pressing her lips against his. The kiss was light at first, but once Castle's hand reached for the crook of her elbow, the kiss deepened and she felt his teeth graze above her lower lip.

She wanted to reciprocate, but Martha and Alexis would be there any minute, and she didn't want them to walk in on the two of them making out. Not only that, but the beeping on Castle's heart monitor was starting to accelerate, and the last thing Kate wanted was the nurses bursting in thinking something was wrong.

So she reluctantly broke the kiss, her forehead pressed against his, the both of them smiling wider than they had in weeks. His thumb brushed back and forth over her elbow, and Castle laughed a little in disbelief.

Her laugh matched his. "Done."


End file.
